Foldable trestle



L. W. MUELLER. FOLDABLE TRESTLE- APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11, 192:.

Invent r. L. 74 flueZZeYZ. 5

- Attorney.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

UNITED STATES Lonwm w. MUELLER, or we'rnnnoo, IowA.

FOLDAIBLE TRESTLE.

Specification of Letters Patent. at nte 92 Application filed February 17, 1921. Serial: in. 445,720. i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUowIc IV. h'lUnLLnn, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Waterloo, Blackhawk County, Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Foldable Trestles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in foldable trestles, and the object of my improvements is to provide for the use of'carpenters and others an all metal foldable trestle Whose parts, when collapsed together will compactly occupy a minimum space, and whose movably connected parts when extended, will be self-locked to render the structure sufiiciently rigid to withstand the stresses of use.

This object I have accomplished by-the means which are hereinafter described and claimed, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, m which Flg. 1 1s a view, partly in side elevation'and partly inlongitudinal section, with parts removed, of said device with its movable parts extended. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the device, and Fig. 3 is a similar end elevation, with parts removed. Fig. 41 is a plan view of the device with its movable part folded or collapsed each end of said beam a housing-plate 3 of inverted U-shape is secured to the flanges 2 having at opposite sides short extensions beyond the flanges with alined orifices to receive a pintle 7 on which is mounted the scrolled upper end ofa depending plate 8, the lower end of said plate being scrolled about a rod to strengthen it. This permits said plate 8 to freely swing longitudinally. Nithin said housing 3, in each case, an angular bracket 4- is fixed to the upper part of the housing depending and having a small plate 5 secured in spaced relation to its outer face by means of rivets 20 and 21. The legs 9 are angle-bars and are pivoted near their upper ends to the upper part of the plate 8 on pintles 22 and the opposed edges of the webs of said legs are beveled at 18 to permit their proper convergence, the bevels having semi-circular notches 19 to embrace the up permost rivet 20. The lower parts of each pair of legs 9 are connected by a pair of arms 13 and 14: whose outer ends are pivoted. at 17 to the legs, the arms being overlapped when extended and pivoted together at 16, one arm having a hooked over part 15 to act as a stop limiting downward movements of said arms when extended.

Pairs of lugs 12, spaced apart, are secured within the channel of the beam 1, and in each case, on a connecting pintle, the upper end of an arm 10 is pivoted, the free end of said arm having a hook 11 used to releasably engage the lower scrolled end of the adjacent plate 8 to limit outward longitudinal movement of said plate'and attached legs 9 when extended. It will'be observed, that when-the legs 9 are extended and laterally separated, they are not only held interlocked to each other by the alined arms 13 and let, but the notches 19 in their upper ends interlocked with the rivets 20 and 21, because the diminished upper ends of said legs are then received in the interspace of the plate 5 and bracket 4. However, when the arms 13 and 14: are pushed upwardly to draw the legs 9 together, the diminished upper ends of the legs become removed from the interspace' of said plate 5 and bracket 1, so that the legs may then be swung longitudinally, after the arms 10 have been disengaged from the plates 8 and swung over to be positioned side by side within the channel of the top beam 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the pairs of legs are foldeddown over each other and over the arms 10 into the channel of the beam ,1 so as to lie within or at least flush with the edges of the flanges 2. There are practically no projecting parts beyond said flanges so that the folded trestle is very compact for transportation or storage.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: I

l. A foldable trestle, comprising a downwardly channeled top member having depending medial transverse brackets, pairs of legs at each end of said member, hinged thereon for lateral separation, pivotally connected to said top member to fold over into the channel thereof when swung toward each other, and engaging-means onsaid brackets, the upper ends of the pairs of legs releasably interlocking with said engaging-means when the legs are spread apart in their extended said top member for releasably interlocking positions. i e the to s of said legs when spread apart, and

2; A foldable trestle, comprising a downhooke' elements pivoted to said top member Wardly channeled top member, pairs of legs and having their terminal hooks releasably ,5 at each end thereof, plates hinged at the engaged with the lower transverse edges of 1-5' to across-the flanges of said top member to said plates when extended to limit their f0 hrto the channel thereof longitudinally, spread longitudinally. said legs being pivotally mounted on said Signed at Waterloo, Iowa, this 20th day plate to swing to and from each other laterof Jan. 1921.

10 ally, means bracketed within the channel of LU'DWIG 'MUELLER. 

